PENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson has asked consumers to brew up a political storm over the poverty behind their favourite cuppa.

He has thrown his political weight behind ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’.

The Tory backbencher attended an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fairtrade event helped to spread the campaign’s message: ‘Don’t Feed Exploitation’.

He said: “This highlighted the fact that smallholder farmers are responsible for providing the majority of the UK’s tea and coffee, yet one in thee people in Kenya’s coffee and tea growing regions live in poverty.

“I am asking East Lancashire consumers to think about the farmers and workers in poor countries behind some of the UK’s favourite, every day grocery items.”

Guest speakers at the Westminster event attended by 45 MPs of all political parties, included Tanzanian coffee farmer Leonard Kachebonaho.

He told them: “Many people in my region live on less than $2 a day and they depend on money from coffee sales.

"Now we are in our sixth year since joining Fairtrade and we have been able to support fellow farmers with farming to improve the environment and focus on quality to make sure you are getting the best.”